A Message from the President

Digi-Key is one of the fastest growing distributors of electronic components in the world.

Since its founding in 1972, Digi-Key has been committed to offering the broadest selection of in-stock electronic components, as well as providing the best service possible to its customers, aiding engineers through the entire design process, from Prototype to Production®. This has led the company to be highly ranked year after year in industry surveys, in North America as well as Europe and Asia, in categories covering such facets of business as availability of product, speed of service, responsiveness to problems, and more.

Our top rankings in so many categories prove we are customer-driven. Our service and support systems have been specifically designed to respond to the needs of our customers. These systems are continually reviewed and modified to respond to changes as we work to achieve the "ultimate" level of customer service.

Digi-Key is unique in many ways that translate into better service for you, our customers.

Authorized Distribution

Digi-Key is an authorized distributor of electronic components for more than 650 industry-leading suppliers. This means Digi-Key customers can rest assured that the product they order is authentic and comes to Digi-Key directly from the manufacturer.

In an effort to educate customers and significantly decrease the amount of counterfeit product on the market, Digi-Key gained membership in ECIA (Electronic Components Industry Association) in North America, ECSN (Electronic Component Supply Network) in the United Kingdom, and CEDA (China Electronics Distributor Alliance) in China.

Breadth of Product

At any given time, more than 1,000,000 products are in stock and ready to be shipped from Digi-Key’s headquarters in Thief River Falls, Minnesota, USA. That means there are no lead times for in-stock products.

Having so many products in stock in our expandable distribution space of more than 700,000 square feet (65,032 square meters) allows us to ship 99% of all orders the same day they are placed. On average, Digi-Key ships nearly 15,000 orders per day.

Support/Resources

Whether you need assistance finding the right part or recommendations for your design, Digi-Key’s Customer Service, Applications Engineering, and Technical Support teams and resources are at your disposal 24 hours a day, seven days a week via telephone, or e-mail.

Digi-Key’s Production Business and Supply Chain Management services are available to help customers get their jobs done and get their products to market quickly and efficiently.

Digi-Key's website is the top-rated and most-visited website in the electronic distribution industry. Content and services we offer on our website continue to rapidly evolve, and we are committed to providing you with full access to Digi-Key's products and services through the Internet.

Digi-Key Company History

Digi-Key is one of the fastest growing distributors of electronic components in the world.

It was Dr. Ronald A. Stordahl's interest in ham radio that provided the springboard for what has become Digi-Key today.

While in college he assembled and began selling a digital electronic keyer kit for sending radiotelegraph code for ham radio operators. It was called the Digi-Key.

After obtaining his PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Minnesota, Stordahl returned to his hometown of Thief River Falls, Minnesota. The keyer kit was discontinued and he began selling electronic components in 1972. The Digi-Key "keyer" is long gone, but Digi-Key has become one of the fastest growing electronic component distributors in the world. We continue to operate on the premise of providing our customers – you – with superior service, focusing on the key areas of product selection, product availability, on-time delivery, and responsiveness.

From the start, Digi-Key used direct marketing as its exclusive means of reaching potential customers. In its first ten years, marketing efforts were focused on the electronic hobbyist. Then, in 1982, the company began directing catalog mailings to the commercial market. As a result, the commercial user has grown from 20 percent of total business to more than 98 percent.

Over the years, Digi-Key has done business with some interesting customers. Components purchased from Digi-Key are found in satellites orbiting the earth. We've sold components to Paramount Pictures for use in science fiction movies. Barry Goldwater once purchased a digital clock kit. Disneyland and the Space Agency are also included on our customer list. In fact, 99 of the top 100 electronic companies in the United States have done business with Digi-Key.

In just a few short years, Digi-Key moved from being the 16th largest to the 4th largest among the more than 300 electronic distributors in North America. Today, Digi-Key is the 4th largest electronic component distributor in North America and the 6th largest worldwide. It is Digi-Key's customer-centered business philosophy that continues to drive the company's rapid growth.

"The good idea still remains," according to Stordahl, "Along with a great group of people dedicated to providing the best possible service to our customers. Service is the key."

Industry Survey Results/Methodology

Electronic engineers worldwide were asked to evaluate their preferences among the industry's leading electronic component distributors. This survey, the 2015 Distributor Customer Evaluation Study, was conducted by UBM Electronics, a technology publication group.

Based on the study's results, Digi-Key was ranked the #1 distributor across a variety of categories, including:

#1 Overall Most Preferred Distributor

#1 Distributor by Patronage of All Product Categories (Semiconductor, Connectors and Interconnects, Passives, Power, and Electromechanical)

#1 for Product Availability

#1 for On-Time Delivery

#1 for Ease of Doing Business

#1 for Distributor Brand Loyalty

#1 for Ample Product Information

#1 for Competitive Pricing

#1 for Supply Chain Services

#1 for Knowledgeable Field Application Engineers

#1 for Assembly and Product Enhancement

The study also found Digikey.com to be, by far, the website most frequented by respondents. Additionally, Digikey.com enjoys the highest ratings across the following evaluation criteria:

#1 Most Visited Site

#1 for Organization of Site

#1 for Accurate Search Engine

#1 for Ease of Navigation

#1 for Value of Online Content

#1 Ease of Ordering Product Online

Methodology:

Between March 3 and April 20 of 2015, EE Times Group subscribers with engineering, procurement and/or business management responsibilities who buy, design or approve the purchase of electronic components, equipment, or services through distributors participated in a web-based survey offering more than 2,460 usable responses. Results of this survey were published in May 2015.

In a separate survey conducted by AspenCore, over 2,000 U.S. engineers were surveyed regarding their impressions of suppliers, their need for product information and other services, how and when they interface with suppliers, and how they see the quality and value of that interface.

Digi-Key gained high marks in AspenCore's 2015 Design Engineer and Supplier Interface Study as well, being named 'Best in Class' in the following categories:

Broadest Overall Product Selection

Parts in Stock Available for Immediate Delivery

Data and Product Selection Support

Consistent, On-time Delivery

E-Commerce/Online Buying

Competitive Pricing

Ease of Website Navigation

Design Support Content on Website

Methodology:

The AspenCore Group's 10th Design Engineer and Supplier Interface Study gathered information from engineers regarding their need for product information and other services as well as how and when they interface with suppliers and how they see the quality and value of that interface.

Over 2,000 U.S. engineers participated in this year's web-based survey. The survey results present a highly accurate and reliable portrait of design engineer attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors. The results are of those completed by April, 2015.

Resources & Links

Need more info about Digi-Key? Find it all here from press releases, events and contact information to educational resources, videos, and more.

Compliance

Labor Surplus Area Concern

Affirmative Action Compliance

Digi-Key Electronics does have certified an affirmative action plan as required by FAR 52-22-26.

Employment of Vietnam-Era Veterans

Digi-Key Electronics complies with all applicable provisions in regard to the employment of Vietnam-Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974.

Employment of Disabled Individuals

Digi-Key Electronics complies with all applicable provisions of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Certification of Non-Segregated Facilities

Digi-Key Electronics does not and will not maintain or provide for its employees any segregated facilities. It does not and will not permit its employees to perform their services at an location under its control where segregated facilities are maintained.

Standard Form 100 (EE0-1) Reports

Digi-Key Electronics annually files form 100 with the Federal Department of Labor.

Clean Air and Water Certification

Digi-Key Electronics is not listed on the Environmental Protection Agency list of violating facilities or any other list of violators.